Inductive pick-up arrangement for an electric vehicle and method of operating an electric vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to an inductive pick-up to be mounted on an electric vehicle, operated with electric energy produced by the inductive pick-up by magnetic induction. The inductive pick-up includes a pick-up portion, a mounting portion, and an actuator. The invention also relates to an electric land vehicle including an inductive pick-up mounted at the bottom of the vehicle. The invention also relates to a method of operating an electric vehicle having an inductive pick-up portion.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An inductive pick-up to be mounted on an electric vehicle which shall be operated with electric energy produced by the inductive pick-up by magnetic induction, wherein:
 the inductive pick-up comprises a pick-up portion comprising at least one electric inductance for receiving a magnetic field and for producing the electric energy, 
 the inductive pick-up comprises a mounting portion to be mounted on the vehicle, 
 the inductive pick-up comprises a linear actuator for actuating movement of the pick-up portion relative to the mounting portion, 
 the mounting portion and the pick-up portion are moveably connected to each other by at least two connecting portions, 
 wherein a distance between the pick-up portion and the mounting portion in a vertical direction can be varied by the linear actuator, 
 wherein 
 the linear actuator comprises a prolongable section which extends from a first bearing attached to the mounting portion to a second bearing attached to the pick-up portion and which can be prolonged and shortened by operating the linear actuator thereby prolonging or shortening a distance between the first bearing and the second bearing, 
 the prolongable section comprises a first operating state in which the prolongable section is shorter than in a second operating state, so that the distance between the pick-up portion and the mounting portion is smaller in one of the first and second operating states than in the other of the first and the second operating states. 
 
     
     
       2. The inductive pick-up of  claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two connecting portions extends from a third bearing attached to the mounting portion to a fourth bearing attached to the pick-up portion, thereby connecting the mounting portion and the pick-up portion to each other, and wherein a first one of the at least two connecting portions and a second one of the at least two connecting portions are spaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction, so that the mounting portion, the pick-up portion, the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion form a parallelogram-like configuration. 
     
     
       3. The inductive pick-up of  claim 2 , wherein the distance between the first bearing and the second bearing has a component that extends in the horizontal direction and which varies during operation of the linear actuator. 
     
     
       4. The inductive pick-up of  claim 1 , wherein the distance between the pick-up portion and the mounting portion is smaller in the first operating state than in the second operating state. 
     
     
       5. The inductive pick-up of  claim 1 , wherein the prolongable section is adapted to be prolonged and shortened in a direction of a straight linear axis which extends from the first bearing to the second bearing. 
     
     
       6. The inductive pick-up of  claim 1 , wherein the inductive pick-up comprises a locking mechanism adapted to lock the pick-up portion in a predefined position relative to the mounting portion. 
     
     
       7. The inductive pick-up of  claim 6 , wherein the linear actuator is an electric linear actuator and the inductive pick-up is adapted to switch off the linear actuator while the pick-up portion is locked in the predefined position. 
     
     
       8. An electric land vehicle comprising the inductive pick-up of  claim 1 , wherein the inductive pick-up is mounted at the bottom of the vehicle, so that the pick-up portion can be moved by the linear actuator between a lower position, in which a distance between the pick-up portion and the mounting portion is larger, and a higher position, in which the distance between the pick-up portion and the mounting portion is smaller. 
     
     
       9. A method of operating an electric vehicle, wherein:
 an inductive pick-up portion, which is moveably connected to a mounting portion that is mounted at a bottom of the electric vehicle, is moved using a linear actuator between a lower position, in which a distance between the pick-up portion and the mounting portion is larger, and a higher position, in which the distance between the pick-up portion and the mounting portion is smaller, 
 movement of the pick-up portion relative to the mounting portion is guided using at least two connecting portions which connect the pick-up portion and the mounting portion, 
 wherein 
 a prolongable section of the linear actuator, which prolongable section extends from a first bearing attached to the mounting portion to a second bearing attached to the pick-up portion, is prolonged or shortened while operating the linear actuator thereby prolonging or shortening a distance between the first bearing and the second bearing, 
 by prolonging or shortening the prolongable section the distance between the pick-up portion to the mounting portion is varied. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein each of the at least two connecting portions extends from a third bearing attached to the mounting portion to a fourth bearing attached to the pick-up portion, and thereby connects the mounting portion and the pick-up portion to each other, and wherein a first one of the at least two connecting portions and a second one of the at least two connecting portions are spaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction, so that the mounting portion, the pick-up portion, the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion form a parallelogram-like configuration for guiding movement of the pick-up portion relative to the mounting portion. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the distance between the first bearing and the second bearing has a component that extends in the horizontal direction and which varies during operation of the linear actuator. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the distance between the pick-up portion and the mounting portion is smaller when the prolongable section is shorter and vice versa. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the prolongable section is prolonged and shortened in a direction of a straight linear axis which extends from the first bearing to the second bearing. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the pick-up portion is locked in a predefined position relative to the mounting portion. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , wherein the linear actuator is an electric linear actuator and the linear actuator is switched off while the pick-up portion is locked in the predefined position.